Let’s Go to the Movies

December 2, 2013

In the last week and a half, I’ve seen three movies in the theaters. What can I say? I love going to the movies. It is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. Right now there are tons of great movies in the theaters so here is my take on these three.

Frozen

I reluctantly went to see this movie. Yes, the ads looked cute but I wasn’t sure it was worth the price of admission to see a kids movie. N loves animated movies and wanted to see this so we took my siblings (age 11 and 12). We all absolutely loved it. It has enough humor and heartwarming moments but is paced quickly enough that you never get bored.

I read later that the marketing for this movie focused on Olaf the snowman so that boys would want to go see it too. It was definitely more of a princess movie than the ads made it out to be but even my 11-year-old brother loved it. The music was reminiscent of old school Disney and made you want to sing along right there in the theater. Plus, who knew Kristen Bell could sing? I was stunned to find out she did all her own vocal work. Pair her with Idina Menzel (bow to the queen) and it was perfection. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have kids, go see this.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I know the premise of this movie is to fight to the death but I was shocked at how brutally violent this movie was. I took my sister to see it the day it came out and though we’ve seen many movies together (including all the Harry Potter movies) this was the first movie that actually scared her a bit. I liked this one significantly more than the first Hunger Games and thought they did a great job of sticking to the book. I had read the book about three years ago now so I had actually forgotten what happens so at the end of the movie I got to be surprised all over again. It does definitely leave you hanging at the end but was still absolutely worth a watch.

The Book Thief

I’m usually an advocate of reading the book before you see the movie but for this one, I just couldn’t wait. I am a huge reader of historical fiction (see some of my favorites) and particularly have read a ton of fiction set during the Holocaust. The movie follows a young girl, Liesel, as she becomes the foster daughter of an older couple in a small German village.

I won’t ruin the movie by telling you that a major part of the storyline is that they hide a young Jewish man in their basement. They don’t let any of the characters fall into the traditional “hero” portrayal. Instead, they let the relationships between the characters and their behaviors because of said relationships shine through. Though many of the reviews I’ve read say that they don’t show enough of the horrors of the Nazi’s, I think if they had shown more it would have lost its PG-13 rating. There is certainly some brutality and it gets progressively worse as the movie spans from 1938-1945. The development of the relationships between characters and how those relationships change their view of what is going on around them is moving, inspiring, and at times deeply saddening. If historical fiction is your favorite genre, this is a must see.

Have you seen any of these movies? What did you think?

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Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to PB from Princess Burlap. This pseudo anonymous blog is written by a truly witty, reflective, and quirky soon-to-be married lady. She has a writing style unlike almost any I’ve found in blog world and reading her posts are always fun and sometimes shocking. Basically PB isn’t afraid to share what others might be nervous to share. To put it in her own words, “Come in, have a look around, be inspired. Or offended.”

PB often writes while running (it’s when she has her best ideas) and this one is essentially what would happen if I wrote down my own stream of consciousness. Plus she used the word nincompoops so you know you’ve got to read it. Her post about her own wedding planning is exactly what every pinterest-pinning crazy needs to read to remind you that it’s about the marriage, not the wedding. PB was also brave enough to open up about her struggle with cutting. Like I said, she’s willing to share the pieces of herself that others might not be able to. Head over to Princess Burlap and read. Over-indulge. Back stalk her to the very beginning. You won’t regret it.

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Hi, I’m Nadine. I'll try not to be a mommy blogger but that's probably where this is headed. Oh, and I'm definitely going to try to convince you that Philadelphia is the coolest. I love my husband, kid, and dog (but who doesn't?). Let's be friends.